Dirty sale was part of business, Stein says

DEL MAR -- Every time trainer/radio talk show host Roger Steinturns on his computer there’s another e-mail wanting to know why hedid it.

What Stein did was sell a 2-year-old filly named Dirty Diana tofellow trainer Bob Baffert after she broke her maiden at HollywoodPark on April 24.

All Dirty Diana has done since is win the $125,000 CTBA Stakesand then finish second to Tizdubai in the Aug. 9 Grade II SorrentoStakes. Now she is being pointed to the $100,000 Generous PortionStakes at the end of the current Del Mar meet.

What makes the sale of Dirty Diana even more surprising is thefact Stein bred the filly (Flying Continental out of ChelseaFields). But $190,000 can make anyone turn over the keys to a newowner.

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“I made the right decision,” Stein said. “I could afford to keepher, but they call this the horse business because it is abusiness. They call it the sport of kings. Well, I’m closer to thecourt jester than the king.”

Don’t let Stein fool you. He doesn’t have many horses in hisbarn, and he’s known more for his opinions on the radio. But he cantrain, and now it appears he can breed horses, too.

Stein raced Dirty Diana’s mother, Chelsea Fields (a New Zealandbred), and then sent her off to the breeding shed.

“She was a powerful mare,” said Stein. “She won on the dirt andgrass. She was exceptionally fast, but she had a mind of herown.”

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When her owners decided they didn’t want to breed her anymore,Stein intervened.

“I knew what the cost was going in to do this,” said Stein."That’s why I didn’t put any partners in the breeding. I justdecided to have some fun. I certainly don’t need my name out thereanymore.”

It is.

Stein chose between Flying Continental and In Excess for hisbreeding. He saw Flying Continental getting around $30,000 atsales, so he spent $3,500 for a breeding share. Dirty Diana was theresult.

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Stein could tell she was a decent sort from her works in themornings, but he considered running her in a maiden claiming raceworth $40,000. However, she keep beating anything that came herway, and Stein put her in a maiden special weight race, which shewon easily. Then the offers started coming from all over thecountry.

“The value of a horse can change so drastically,” said Stein. “Ihad a $100,000 offer before I left the track that day. Then thewhole thing happened so fast.”

And shortly thereafter, Dirty Diana was headed to the Baffertbarn.

Then in her next race she finished a well-beaten fifth in theCinderella Stakes at Hollywood Park.

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“When she got beat, I was sort of baffled by her performance,"Stein said. “When I got home, there was a phone message: ‘Roger,this is Bob. I want my money back.’ I knew he was joking.”

Following Dirty Diana’s win in the CTBA Stakes, he knew Baffertwould be pleased.

“I’m so proud,” Stein said. “It never crossed my mind I sold hertoo soon. I think the best deal is when both people are happy.”

That is the case here.

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On top of that, Stein will receive breeders’ awards from thestate of California for as long as Dirty Diana runs. That could beanother $45,000. And the topper is Stein has a yearling, who is afull brother to Dirty Diana, set to go through the auction ringthis fall.

“This is letting me enjoy another side of the business,” Steinsaid.

And as Stein points out, business is business.

The lost weekend

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San Luis Rey Downs-based trainer Laura de Seroux didn’t have anenjoyable Saturday at Arlington Heights in the Chicago area.

De Seroux watched her 4-year-old filly Dublin finish fifth inthe Grade I Beverly D. Stakes after an unusual ride by jockey KentDesormeaux. Then, Just Wonder, also trained by de Seroux, waspulled up in the Grade I Secretariat Stakes for 3-year-olds.

“When I saw Dublino pressing the pace (in second place), Iwanted to turn around and leave,” said de Seroux on Monday. “Thatwas the beginning of the debacle. I wanted her back off Heat Haze,switched off and covered up the way she has run all her races. Idon’t know how that bit of creative, artistic jockeying licenseoccurred, but it was a deadly mistake. She was indifferent to theturf (which was listed as good). That’s just not her (running)style. She blew up. She’s always settled in behind, waiting,waiting, waiting. Arlington has a long stretch.

“Just Wonder was making a move when he clipped heels withEvolving Tactics. Kent thought he heard a noise and that somethingbroke. (The jockeys) were all distracted from the Gary (Stevens)incident and he pulled the horse up.

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“I’m not blaming. I’m just stating what happened.”

Stevens was thrown off Storming Home at the finish of the GradeI Arlington Million. He suffered a collapsed lung and a fracturedvertebrae when an oncoming horse kicked him.

Staying home

Trainer Eoin Harty and his family received some good news lastweek when it was announced Harty would have a year-round presenceon the Southern California circuit.

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When Godolphin Racing hired away Harty, then-Baffert’s topassistant, he would go to Dubai each winter and return the nextspring with the outfit’s top 2-year-olds targeted for Americanracing.

This year, Harty returned under the company name Darley StudManagement LLC, a wing of Godolphin, and with some older horseslooking to make a name for themselves. Now when the fall rollsaround, Harty will probably still send off the top 2-year-olds toDubai, but others will remain behind.

“They are all owned by Sheik Mohammed, and if they become worthyenough to wear the royal blue (of Godolphin) they will,” said Hartyon Monday. “Taking the unproven horse back to Dubai for the winteris counterproductive. I think this is a program that will benefitall parties.”

Harty said he hasn’t made a decision on whether Tizdubai, winnerof the Sorrento Stakes, will come back in the Del Mar Debutantenext week or wait until Oak Tree.

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Staff writer Jeff Nahill covers horse racing for the NorthCounty Times. His column appears every Wednesday during the Del Marmeet. He can be reached at (760) 740-3550 orjnahill@nctimes.com.